


Accidentally (Pregnant and) In Love

by bookwormforalways



Category: The 100 (TV), The 100 Series - Kass Morgan
Genre: Accidental Pregnancy, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Modern AU, Secret Baby, Secret pregnancy, artist!Clarke, childhood best friends, spy!bellamy, super sappy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-01-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:34:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22388773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookwormforalways/pseuds/bookwormforalways
Summary: After years of hiding her crush on her best friend's older brother, Clarke finds herself accidentally pregnant and totally in love with Bellamy Blake.The only problem is, Bellamy is overseas, and completely unreachable and off the grid for work - meaning Clarke can't tell him (or Octavia) the truth.
Relationships: Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin
Comments: 67
Kudos: 446





	1. What's the Problem? Baby.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: it's been a hot minute since I've written bellarke fic, but here we are. This teeny tiny idea turned into a 12k beast, so hope you enjoy this sappy fluff. 
> 
> Fic title and chapter titles from on the Counting Crows song "Accidentally In Love". 
> 
> The dates don't really matter, they just help orient the story chronologically as there are some time jumps and flashbacks.
> 
> {thank you to the wonderful @griffinnblake and @prophecygurl for making these extraordinary moodboards. I am undeserving of your kindness!}  
> https://bookwormforalways.tumblr.com/post/190460155921/griffinnblake-accidentally-pregnant-and-in  
> https://bookwormforalways.tumblr.com/post/190467335806/braveprincess-after-years-of-hiding-her-crush

**[mid-November]**

Clarke bit her lip, tapped her foot, and twisted her hair through her fingers to distract herself from the timer counting down on her phone. Just a few more seconds and she could look. 

3… 2… 1.

And there is was. Two lines. A positive. 

She was going to have a baby. 

A positive result. Positive. That meant this was a good thing, right?

Her hand dropped from her tangled hair to rest protectively over her abdomen, as her mind began to race, reeling with the news. 

She was going to have a baby. She, Clarke Griffin, twenty-four years old and single, was going to have a baby. 

Lost in her thoughts, Clarke didn’t hear the first knock on the bathroom door.

“Clarke?”

She recognized her roommate’s voice, as Octavia knocked again. 

“Uh, yeah, one second,” Clarke answered, frantically trying to replace the pregnancy test in the box and conceal it in the front pocket of her purple hoodie as the bathroom door creaked open.

Octavia’s eyes narrowed in curiosity, “Hey, you okay? You’re acting weird.” 

Clarke tried to keep her cool, “Nothing, I’m fine. Just tired.” She edged out of the bathroom, hoping that Octavia wouldn’t ask more questions. She needed some more time to herself to begin to process this new life-altering information. 

Once her bedroom door was closed behind her, Clarke curled up on her bed, and pulled the pregnancy test out of her pocket. She felt numb as she stared at the little white stick, with the pink plus sign glaringly obvious. 

“Hey, Clarke, I was going to order pizza for dinner…” Octavia’s voice carried into Clarke’s room as the door opened, and Octavia entered, and immediately saw the object in Clarke’s hands. “Holy shit! Is that what I think it is?” 

It was no use trying to hide this from Octavia - they had been best friends their entire lives, and could read each other like open books - so she nodded. 

“You’re really pregnant?” Octavia asked, looking for confirmation as she crossed the room and sat down on the bed beside Clarke. 

Squeezing her eyes shut, Clarke nodded again, and angled the test toward Octavia. “Yeah, looks like it,” she whispered, as a single tear fell from her eye. 

Instantly, Octavia’s arms were around Clarke, wrapping her in a hug. “Tell me everything. What can I do? Are we happy, or…” 

Clarke held Octavia tightly, and through her tears, whispered, “Yeah, we’re happy. I think.” 

After an extra long hug, Clarke pulled back and wiped her tears with the sleeve of her sweater. “Sorry, it’s just a lot to process,” she sniffled softly noticing the tear stains on her roommates shirt.

Octavia reached over to the bedside table for a handful of kleenex. “No shit. I’m here for you no matter what, you know that right?”

She nodded, leaning her head on Octavia’s shoulder once again. It was quiet for a moment, as Octavia softly stroked her hair.

“But, who’s the father?” Octavia blurted out, leaning forward to make eye contact.

Clarke’s eyes watered again. “Umm. I- I can’t answer that right now. Please, don’t tell anyone else, and I promise I’ll tell you more when I can.” She knew she was being cryptic, but this still didn’t feel real. “I just need some more time to figure this out.”

Luckily, Octavia understood, and nodded. “Okay, yeah. For sure,” she said, and hugged Clarke tightly again. “Just let me know if you need anything, ‘kay? I’m here for you, including fighting this baby-daddy if you need me to.”

Clarke grinned slightly at that, knowing Octavia would not hesitate to use her extensive fight training, and would even enjoy the opportunity to get a few punches in. 

Octavia smoothed out her hair once more before sitting up. “I’m gonna order that pizza now, okay? I’ll let you know when it’s here.”

Clarke nodded and said a quick thank-you as her eyes teared up again. She wiped her cheeks again and hid her face in her pillow. Hearing Octavia close her door, she was thankful for the silence, as she had a lot of processing to do alone. But she wasn’t really _alone_ anymore. 

How could she be pregnant? Well, she knew _how_ \- her mom was a doctor after all. But it was just a one night stand, and she was on the pill, and oh gosh - she’d have to tell the father. She’d have to tell him. 

Clarke pulled the covers over her head as her thoughts raced in circles - she was pregnant, she was going to be a mother, and oh goodness how was she ever going to take care of a baby? 

And _holy crap_ , how was she ever going to explain all this to Bellamy Blake?

* * *

**[October - 6 weeks earlier, in London]**

Clarke walked to the baggage claim area at Heathrow airport and fought off a yawn. Jetlag was a beast, that’s for sure - all she wanted was to find a bed and sleep, but it was only nine in the morning London time. Luckily, Clarke’s boss had scheduled the flight early, giving Clarke a few days to overcome her jetlag and explore London before getting to work. 

While she waited for her luggage to appear on the baggage carousel, Clarke felt her phone buzz in her pocket. 

_Octavia: I know you just left, but I miss you already. I can’t believe you left me alone for two whole weeks._

Clarke checked the time, and texted back:

**Just landed - the flight was good, but jetlag is a bitch. And duh, I miss you toooo!!**

**Also, it’s 3am your time, why are you awake?**

Clarke kept watching the spinning carousel for her bags when her phone buzzed again.

_Octavia: Night shift again, and just facetimed B. Turns out big brother is in London right now too. I told him you’re there for work, so you guys should totally try to hang out. I know he’s annoying and all, but if I can’t see him, then you should totally bug him for me._

Laughing at her friend’s text, Clake spotted her suitcases and rushed forward to pull them off the belt. The rest of the airport was a blur as she went through customs and crowds, and finally found herself in a taxi on route to her hotel. 

By the time Clarke pulled out her phone to text Octavia back, there was a new message on her screen. 

_Bellamy Blake: Hey princess, I hear you’re in London - you moving into the palace? O thought you might be free tonight? If so, want to meet up?_

Ignoring the princess and palace barb, she texted back quickly:

**Hi, long time no see. Just landed, and yeah, I’m free tonight - let me know when and where.**

_Bellamy Blake: Cool, I’ll ask Miller for a place to eat, somewhere fit for a princess._

**I let the last one slide, but stop calling me that! Now you’re paying for food, asshole.**

_Bellamy Blake: Hey now, play nice, princess. And I was going to offer to pay anyway, so ha. Take that._

Clarke smirked and typed out her reply, sending it as the cab pulled up to her hotel - her new home for the next two weeks. 

**Joke’s on you because I am jetlagged and super hungry and am totally going to eat endless amounts of fish and chips.**

* * *

  
  


**[late November]**

A week had passed since Clarke had found out her news, her _exciting_ news, she had decided. Clarke’s doctor appointment the day before confirmed that yes, she was about seven weeks pregnant, landing the date of conception at the start of her recent trip to London. Which meant that she knew who the father was, without a doubt. Granted, she had already known it had to be his - as she had only hooked up with women in the last three months, and well, _science_. 

Octavia had kept her word and not asked about the father at all, but Clarke knew her best friend was dying for answers. And Clarke knew that she absolutely could not tell Octavia anything without talking to the father first. 

And that was the problem. 

Bellamy was the father of her baby, and he was unreachable for the next three months, away on some super secret mission for work and completely off the grid. Even Octavia, his immediate family, would be lucky to have one or two emails from his supervisor within this time frame, simply to confirm he was still alive. And Clarke had resolutely decided that she had to tell Bellamy first, and tell him in person. He was scheduled to come back to Arkadia to see Octavia in three months, in February - and she would be able to tell him everything. 

Once Bellamy knew the truth, she would be free to share it with Octavia as well. But in the meantime… she would have to throw her best friend off the trail for a few months. In order to do so, Clarke had devised a fake story, of an untraceable one night stand in a foreign country. Crazy, but hey, at least she could blame the pregnancy hormones. 

“Morning,” Octavia mumbled, stumbling down the stairs and into the kitchen where Clarke was sipping her tea and catching up on work. So far, the worst part about pregnancy was having to give up her multiple daily doses of caffeine.

“Barely - it’s almost noon. What happened to the girl who was up at six am to workout everyday?” Clarke teased. 

“Ugh, she sold her soul to work night shifts.” Octavia moaned, rooting through the dish rack for a mug, and groaned in frustration when she held up the empty coffee pot. 

“Sorry, no coffee for the baby,” Clarke called. “Want some tea? The peppermint smell does an okay job covering the terrible plant water flavour.” 

Octavia groaned again, “No way in hell.” She joined Clarke at the table with a bowl of cereal. “So how was your doctor’s appointment yesterday? Everything good?”

Clarke nodded and closed her laptop. “Yeah, everything looks good. She took some blood tests, an ultrasound, and we figured out the conception date.” 

Octavia raised an eyebrow, silently asking the one question she had promised not to ask. 

Clarke smirked. “Yeah, yeah, I know.” She took a deep breath, and continued. “Okay, so it happened in London, at the gala at the end of the trip. There was this guy, Cillian, I think. And I don’t know, he was hot, we had a lot to drink, and it was my last night in London, and he had a room in the hotel upstairs... And, yeah. Baby.”

“Whoah, a British baby.” Octavia paused and then giggled, “My super tired brain just thought that the baby might be born with an accent.”

Clarke laughed with her friend at the ridiculous notion. “Close, he was Irish, but still, a super hot accent.”

“So are you going to tell him?”

Clarke shook her head, “I don’t know. No. I can’t. Honestly, I don’t even know his last name. I guess I could ask Luna to have her contacts in London ask around, but I don’t even know if he was on the guest list, or a plus one, or even just crashing the event.”

Octavia nodded, “Fair point.” 

“So I guess it’s just me, and baby, and Auntie O.” Clarke said hesitantly, rubbing small circles gently over her still-flat stomach. 

“Auntie O. I like the sound of that.” Octavia grinned. She stood to clean up her bowl and stretched. “Well, I’m going to walk to Starbucks for some actual caffeine.” 

“Ugh, I’m so jealous,” Clarke complained, lifting her her tea for a sip, and grimaced at the taste. 

Octavia laughed, and her phone pinged as she was headed to the door. She paused to read the notification. “It’s an email from Bellamy’s supervisor - all is good.” 

Clarke breathed a sigh of relief. With Bellamy always deployed on dangerous and secret missions all over the globe, it was always nice to have confirmation, even if it was brief, that he was safe and sound. 

“Wonder where he is this time,” Clarke mused. 

“Who knows. Only that he’s off saving the world, all that James Bond and Jack Ryan shit,” Octavia grinned, and reached for the doorknob. “Oh, but if you’re jealous of the caffeine, then I’m jealous you got see Bell in London. I can’t believe I have to wait three more months to see my own damn brother.” She waved as she left out the door, leaving Clarke alone in the empty house. 

In the quiet, Clarke whispered to her belly, “And I can’t believe we have to wait three months to tell your daddy about you.” 

* * *

  
  


**[October - Back In London]**

A few hours after arriving at the hotel, Clarke had showered, unpacked, and had even taken a short nap - despite every warning of jetlag she’d ever heard. And now, she was sitting in an Uber on her way to meet Bellamy. 

The cab navigated the busy streets of London at a very slow pace, and Clarke realized it may have been faster to simply walk. Watching the cars and buildings go by slowly, her mind wandered, lost in the memories of her childhood, prompted by her excitement to see Bellamy. 

Clarke and Octavia had been best friends since kindergarten, and were truly inseparable. Without any siblings of her own in the huge Griffin mansion, Clarke got lonely, and spent most of her childhood trying to find a way to spend time at the Blake’s house - getting dropped off for playdates on weekends, and sleepovers after school. Abby Griffin had even hired their mom Aurora to babysit Clarke through the long weeks of summer after Clarke’s father had passed away.

The more time Clarke had spent at the Blake’s house, the more time she spent with Octavia’s older brother Bellamy. He was five years older than Clarke and Octavia, and was often charged with watching the girls while Aurora was at work. While he always said he never had time for his little sister or her annoying friends - he was always making them snacks after school, helping them with homework, and later driving them around town. Clarke had instantly felt more at home at the Blake’s tiny house than she ever had in her parent’s sprawling mansion. 

Bellamy had enlisted in the army right after high school, and Clarke hated to think of how much she had missed him. It was like missing a limb - she hadn’t realized how constant he was in her life, until he wasn’t. Clarke knew he only signed up because his family needed the money, and it would allow him to pursue an education, as the army would pay his university tuition. 

Clarke had kept in touch with Bellamy through Octavia during their high school years, while he was away at boot camp, and then through his first few deployments. When he was back at home with them for visits in Arkadia, it was like nothing had changed and they fell right back into their friendship of sibling rivalry and constant teasing. 

By the time Clarke graduated high school, Bellamy had taken enough online courses throughout his army years to complete his undergrad online. The plan was for Clarke and Octavia to start their freshman year at Polis University, and Bellamy would move home to start his teaching degree there as well. But Aurora had fallen sick that summer. So Bellamy took on another deployment to pay for treatment so Octavia could go to school and not drop out to work. And then, when Aurora had passed away, Bellamy took on another assignment to pay their medical debts, and then another and another - and before he realized his plans for teacher’s college had completely disappeared and he was highly ranked within the military. 

And before Clarke knew it, years flew by and Bellamy was based in Germany, and working within a classified branch of the military, which apparently had him running out on secret missions all over the globe, and rarely finding the opportunities to come visit Arkadia. He would never confirm nor deny any specifics of his job, so Octavia always joked he was like James Bond, a spy off saving the world.

Clarke had moved in with Octavia at the Blake’s house during her first year at Polis University. It was only natural for her to move in when Aurora had passed away - especially as it meant she didn’t have to share a tiny little dorm room on campus. Plus, it meant that her mom would feel way less guilty selling Clarke’s childhood home when Abby moved across the country for her job at a new hospital. It had never really been Clarke’s true home anyway.

Clarke had camped out in Bellamy’s empty room for a month when she first moved in, before Octavia convinced her to take over the master bedroom, Aurora’s old room. She had helped Octavia pack up the memories and painted the walls, and soon enough, it was home for Clarke. Both girls still lived in that little house now, both having graduated and working full time in Arkadia - Clarke in a prestigious art gallery and Octavia as a paramedic. 

“There ya are, miss, just a few doors up on the left.” Clarke’s Uber driver called from the front seat, shaking her from her reminiscent thoughts. 

“Oh! Thank you!” she called, darting out of the car, and walking over to the pub Bellamy had chosen. She noticed that it really wasn’t that far from her hotel after all, and she probably would have made it here faster if she had walked. 

Her stomach fluttered with excitement, and a touch of nerves. Whenever they had hung out together before, it had always been with Octavia, or any number of their friends from Arkadia. This would be the first time it would just be the two of them - and Clarke was very aware that just the two of them would feel like a date. 

Obviously she had crushed hard on Bellamy all throughout middle school and even high school, despite him being overseas. It certainly didn’t help that each time Bellamy came home to visit Arkadia, he had become more and more attractive. So her crush had only grown, and while she was fairly certain she might be in love with him, she would never admit to having these feelings. Bellamy was her best friend’s older brother, and one of her closest friends, and their friendship was far too important to risk. 

Swallowing her nerves, Clarke pulled open the door and looked around, her hand reaching up to habitually tuck her hair behind her ear. 

“Clarke!” she turned to the far left, hearing her name shouted out across the room. Her eyes spied him - tall, dark curly hair, shirt sleeves rolled up around his forearms, and smiling at her - and suddenly all of her nerves were gone. 

Clarke crossed the busy pub and launched herself into Bellamy’s waiting arms, pulling her in for a tight hug. 

“Hey princess, long time no see,” he said, barely audible with the busy chatter echoing through the pub. 

Clarke pulled back and grinned at him, “You too, nerd. What are we drinking?” 

Bellamy laughed. Soon they were catching up over a beer and a meal of fish and chips. 

Clarke told Bellamy that she was in town for a business trip. The art gallery she worked for was fairly prestigious, and her boss, Luna, had sent her here for two weeks of business meetings to secure new artwork, schmooze with donors, and network at a gala that would be held at the end of the trip. 

Bellamy filled her in on his life in Germany, and while he couldn’t tell her many (or any) specifics about his secretive job, he shared funny stories of Miller and Raven, two of his army friends Clarke had met over FaceTime throughout the years. 

Clarke helped catch him up about everything going on with Octavia, and the ridiculous tales of their friends Jasper, Monty, and Harper, and everything else back home in Arkadia. 

After finishing her third beer, Clarke’s jetlag had caught up to her. “I think I’m wiped for the night,” she admitted, leaning her head on her hand, her elbow propped on the table. 

Bellamy winked, “Awh, the night’s still young. Not the party princess from your college days, anymore?”

“Shut up.” Clarke retorted, and yawned. “I haven’t slept in... how many hours? Thirty?” 

“We can head out then, I’ll walk you back to your hotel,” Bellamy offered, pulling out his wallet to cover the bill. 

Clarke smiled, “That’d be great, thanks.” She pulled open the maps on her phone to guide them back.

* * *


	2. Makes Me Wanna Turn Around And Face It (but I don't know nothing 'bout love)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Febuary and Clarke is four months pregnant and anxiously awaiting Bellamy's arrival... and trying to figure out how she should tell him. 
> 
> But mostly, enjoy a flashback to the night in London... ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Thanks for the love, kudos' and comments so far!! :)
> 
> ** A/N: I was hesitant to continue posting to this fic after the heartbreaking Beliza news that was shared at the Con yesterday.   
> But actors are not their characters; Bellarke is not Beliza, and vice versa. However, if you aren't comfortable reading because of the subject matter (ie. pregnancy), I won't hold it against you. **

ps. check the two amazing moodboards generously created for this fic [here](https://bookwormforalways.tumblr.com/post/190460155921/griffinnblake-accidentally-pregnant-and-in) and [here](https://bookwormforalways.tumblr.com/post/190467335806/braveprincess-after-years-of-hiding-her-crush)! 

**[February]**

The Christmas holidays had come and gone, and with the start of the new year, Clarke’s baby bump was beginning to show. At four months along, Clarke was diving head first into single parent mode. She spent hours reading pregnancy books and parenting books. She made lists of things to buy, things to do, and even went so far as to set herself deadlines for these tasks. Keeping her mind this occupied was the only way to distract her thoughts from the constant anxiety of Bellamy’s impending arrival next week.

Octavia had bought Clarke’s story about the father being an unknown international one night stand without question, and was fully supportive of Clarke’s decision to be a single mother. She constantly reassured Clarke that the baby could rely on Auntie O. She insisted that Clarke not even think about moving out, and they should turn Bellamy’s unused room into a nursery - Bellamy could sleep on the couch  if  when he came back to visit. 

So here she was, four months pregnant, boxing up everything left behind in Bellamy’s old room. Once packed away, Clarke could paint the walls, and set up the crib, changing table, and rocking chair. In order to cross these points off her to-do lists, she first had to spend hours packing away the eldest Blake’s clothes, books, and memorabilia - which made it extremely difficult to distract herself from him, which had been the whole point of creating those lists in the first place. 

“Ugh, so many books,” Clarke groaned, opening up the bottom drawer of the dresser to find it filled with paperbacks rather than clothing. Classic Bellamy. 

“Your dad is such a nerd,” she said quietly to her bump. She had found herself talking to her baby more and more, strangely finding comfort in the act. 

Pulling out the books one by one, she packed them in a box, a feeling of satisfaction with every echoing thud. Consumed by this task, and the thoughts of how to tell Bellamy (and the anxiety that came with) racing through her head, she didn’t even hear Octavia come home. 

“Hey, Clarke,” Octavia said softly from the doorway. Clarke whipped her head up, her friend’s tone of voice instantly giving away that something was wrong. The suspicion was confirmed when she saw her friend’s eyes watering, tears threatening to spill. 

Clarke crossed the room and pulled Octavia into a hug, “What’s wrong?”

She felt Octavia take a deep breath. “It’s Bellamy,” Octavia said, pulling away from the hug to show Clarke her phone screen. 

Clarke’s heart started racing, and her eyes had trouble focusing on the small print of the email, but managed to read:

_ To:  _ [ _ octaviab@gmail.com _ ](mailto:octaviab@gmail.com)

_ From:  _ [ _ b.blake.1220@gmail.com _ ](mailto:b.blake.1220@gmail.com) __

_ O,  _

_ I’m alive, safe and sound and all that.  _

_ But I can’t make it back to Arkadia like I promised. I’m so sorry.  _

_ Something came up - which sounds like a lame excuse, but I know you know I can’t give you any more details than that.  _

_ I’ll do my best to come back as soon as I can - but I honestly don’t know when that will be.  _

_ I’m so sorry. I love you.  _

_ \- Bell  _

  
  


Bellamy wasn’t coming home. 

Clarke’s heart dropped to the pit of her stomach as the reality hit her - she wouldn’t be able to tell Bellamy about the baby next week like she planned. Which meant she wouldn’t be able to tell anyone else the truth either. And, who knew when Bellamy would end up back in Arkadia, and if it would even be before the baby was born. How long would she have to keep this secret?

“This fucking sucks, O, but you know he would come home if he could. He knew what he was getting into when he signed up for this job,” Clarke said, trying to offer a bit of comfort to her friend. “And like I told you after London, he said he was thinking about quitting, and moving back here for good. So there’s still hope for that, when this is all over.”

Octavia nodded as the tears started falling across her cheeks. She wiped them away quickly, and let Clarke lead her down the stairs to the kitchen. There was nothing Clarke could do, but offer hugs and a mug of hot chocolate. 

After tucking Octavia into bed for a nap after a long night shift and the devastating news, Clarke returned to Bellamy’s room to keep packing. Her lists weren’t going to finish themselves. 

Picking up her phone from the bed where she’d left it an hour ago to restart her music, she saw a new email notification. 

  
  


_ To:  _ [ _ clarke.griffin@gmail.com _ ](mailto:clarke.griffin@gmail.com) __

_ From:  _ [ _ b.blake.1220@gmail.com _ ](mailto:b.blake.1220@gmail.com) __

_ Princess,  _

_ O should have told you by now, but in case she hasn’t, I can’t make it back to Arkadia next week, like I thought. _

_ I was really hoping to talk to you - we should probably talk after everything that happened in London.  _

_ I miss you talking to you.  _

_ I have no idea when I’ll be able to check my email again, so please take care of O for me. _

_ \- Bellamy _

_ P.s. You still owe me a beer. ;) _

Holy crap. 

Bellamy missed talking to her. And boy, did she miss him too. 

He missed talking to her, and here she was keeping a gigantic secret from him. A secret that was literally growing every day. She rubbed her rounded belly as she contemplated replying to his email. She could tell him now, type out a few sentences, tell him the truth, and change his life forever. 

But this wasn’t something he should read over email. Especially when he wouldn’t be able to email back anytime soon. Especially when the news would distract him and jeopardize his safety, or even his life, when he needed to focus on work. That would be totally unfair. 

Clarke curled up on Bellamy’s bed. The sheets and pillows had been changed and washed since his last visit more than a year ago, but she swore they still smelt like him. Maybe it was the baby brain, or maybe it was the heartbreak she felt after the news, but she found comfort in holding his pillow tight. With one arms hugging the pillow close, and the other delicately cradling her bump, Clarke whispered, “One day your daddy will know about you… but it just won’t be next week like we thought.” 

She closed her eyes, and finally let the tears come. 

* * *

  
  


**[London, November]**

“I know I said I was tired from my jet lag, and everything, but I’m weirdly waking up from the walk.” Clarke said as she and Bellamy walked along. 

Bellamy raised an eyebrow, “I always knew you were weird, but sure, this confirms it.” 

Clarke rolled her eyes at him, before looking forward again. “I can’t believe I’m actually here in London, I’ve always wanted to travel here.”

“It’s definitely one of my favourite places. I always try to come by when I have time, visit the museums, see the sights.” 

“Nice to know your inner history nerd is still alive in you somewhere,” Clarke teased. 

“You haven’t seen anything.” Bellamy smirked and launched into a tale of how a group of tourists had mistaken him for a tour guide when he was explaining something to Miller when they had visited a museum in Prague last year.

“Prague?” Clarke asked, before answering her own question, “Oh yeah, last year, I remember the postcard you sent Octavia. We keep them all on the fridge.” 

“Really, after all this time?” 

“Yeah, Octavia won’t let me take them down, and always brags about them when people visit.” 

Bellamy laughed, running a hand through his hair and causing the already messy curls into further disarray. “That sounds like O. Hey, we should find a postcard here, and send it to her from both of us. She’d get a kick out of that.” 

“More like turn green with jealousy, but…” Clarke raised her shoulders in a shrug, “Let’s do it!”

Bellamy pointed to a small shop up ahead, and they ducked inside. In addition to the postcard, Clarke also selected an armful of snacks, and a bottle of wine. 

“What?” she said to Bellamy’s questioning glance, “A girl’s gotta eat, and wine helps me sleep.” 

He rolled his eyes at her, but pulled the bottle out of her hand, placing it on the counter. “I thought the jet lag and the dinner I just bought you would help with those, but,” he shrugged, “apparently not.” 

Before she could extract her wallet from her purse, Bellamy had already paid for her snacks and wine. 

“I was going to pay for that,” she said to him, saying a quick thanks to the shopkeeper before returning her eyes to Bellamy, to stare him down. 

“Yeah, well, too slow,” he countered, leading them back outside. 

“‘Too slow?’ That’s all you’ve got?” 

He shook his head, “C’mon princess, let’s get you to your palace, it looks like it’s about to rain.” 

Bellamy was right. When they were only a block away from her hotel, the clouds opened, and rain poured down around them. 

“Quick, run!” he called, grabbing Clarke’s hand and pulling her along to the front of the hotel. 

The automatic doors opened and they dashed inside, breathing heavily and soaking wet. Well, Clarke was breathing heavily because that was the most cardio she’d done in a while, and Bellamy looked fine. 

“Whoah, that was crazy,” she panted, passing him the shopping bag to hold. She twisted her hair, wringing it out as rain water dripped on the hotel lobby carpet. 

Bellamy laughed, “That’s jolly ole England for you, welcoming you in style.” 

She grinned back at him, “I didn’t expect London to be so wet.” 

Bellamy smirked, then looked around the lobby. He shuffled on his feet, and handed her bag back. “I should probably -” he started to say…

At the same time, Clarke spoke, “Do you want to - ”

She made eye contact and laughed nervously. 

“What were you going to say?” he prompted. 

“I was going to ask,” she started, but pulled her gaze away from his as her face blushed, “Umm, do you want to come upstairs? We can dry off and hang out a bit longer?” Despite her embarrassment, she looked back up at him to see his answer. 

His eyes seemed to light up as he nodded, “Yeah, that’d be great.” 

“Cool.” She answered, leading him toward the elevator. “And, we have to fill out the postcard for Octavia.” 

“Definitely.” 

They stepped into the elevator, and Clarke pressed the button for her floor. They made awkward eye contact in the reflective mirror of the door, and Clarke felt herself starting to blush again. She started speaking without thinking. 

“We look awful. Like that one time, when Octavia and I were kids and refused to leave the park. You were getting mad, and then it started to rain. Suddenly you weren’t so mad anymore and we all just played at the park in the rain, soaked to the bone.” 

Bellamy grinned, “That was fun. But I wasn’t mad at you two.”

“No?” The elevator opened on her floor and they stepped into the hall. 

“Nah, I was bored. You two were ignoring me for whatever game you were playing. But then the rain, the rain made it fun.” 

“Geez, sorry I was a terrible child.” Clarke unlocked her door, and walked inside, holding the door for Bellamy to follow. 

“Not completely terrible, princess,” he teased, “Just stuck in your own little world, or should I say castle?”

“Not fair, I was eight.” Clarke reached out and hit him in the stomach with the back of her hand. “You can’t hold that against me.” 

Bellamy swiftly caught her hand, and trapped it to his chest. He looked down at their hands, and then back at her. He swallowed, his voice soft, “No, I can’t hold that against you.” 

She kept eye contact with him for a moment, until he broke their gaze, and dropped her hand. “Umm,” he cleared his throat, “A pen. Let’s find a pen and write out that postcard.” 

Clarke handed Bellamy a pen and the postcard. She ducked into the bathroom to change out of her wet clothes and into an oversized t-shirt and leggings, and threw her hair into a messy bun. Bellamy hung his coat and sweater by the radiator. They would dry soon enough. Soon, the post card was filled out and ready to be mailed, and her bottle of wine had been opened. 

“Cheers to London,” she said, clinking their plastic cups of wine together, and lounged on the bed, laying on her stomach with her ankles crossed in the air. 

“To London, and to the princess,” Bellamy smirked from where he sat in the chair at the desk a few feet away. 

Clarke stuck her tongue out at him. “So what would the great Bellamy Blake have been doing tonight if you weren’t here with me?” 

“Awh, you think I’m great?” His eyes twinkled, as he took a sip of wine.

She rolled her eyes, and kept teasing. “Seriously. Diamond heists, stealing trade secrets, tracking down international criminals?” 

Bellamy rolled his eyes. “No. What do you even think I do for work? I’m not James Bond, like O thinks.”

“But you never actually tell us what you do, so it’s up to our imaginations.” 

“Well, I can tell you that I went to a museum today after my meeting, and probably would have stayed there until closing if O hadn’t told me you were here.” 

“Nerd.” Clarke sat up and took another sip of wine. 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. I’m a history nerd, you’re an art nerd, we both love museums. Let’s move past this.” Bellamy leaned back and stretched his legs out, resting his feet on the bed beside her. 

“Okay, so tell me the truth. O’s new boyfriend, Lincoln. Do we like him?” Bellamy asked. 

“Truth? What, are we playing truth or dare now?” Clarke rolled her eyes at him. 

“I answered your question, now you answer mine,” he retorted. 

“Okay, fine. Yes, Lincoln’s a great guy, and really good for her. Once you meet him, you’ll be cool with him, I promise.” 

Bellamy nodded, “I’ll have to visit soon then, make sure he’s taking care of O. It’s hard to worry about her while I’m on the side of the world.” 

Clarke looked up at him, “So, then tell me the truth, when are you coming home for good?”

“The truth?” he repeated, looking down at the ground and then back at her. “I have no idea. I never planned to stay away this long. I think about quitting all the time. And then I don’t. And then I take another job, because this is all I know.”

Clarke shook her head. “No, you know Arkadia, and Octavia. And me, and all our friends. And if you want to come home, you should. Octavia might not tell you this, but she misses you like crazy, and she worries about you too. All the time.” 

Bellamy looked down at the ground, processing her words. “I’ll consider it then, quitting. I leave for my new assignment tomorrow, but when it’s done… I’ll try to come home.” 

“Good. We miss you.” Clarke said. She felt her face flush when she realized she inferred that she missed him too, so she reached for the bottle of wine and refilled her cup. She passed the bottle to Bellamy and he topped up as well. 

“Wine is okay, but next time you owe me a beer, deal?” 

Clarke rolled her eyes, but agreed anyway.

“Alright, so let’s play for real. Truth or dare?” he asked with excitement in his voice. 

“Umm, dare,” Clarke answered. They had shared enough truth in the last few moments. 

“I dare you to do four cartwheels down the hall.” 

“You’re on.” She took a gulp of wine, and walked to the door, and into the hall. Bellamy laughed from the doorway as she turned one, two, and three cartwheels in the hallway. By the fourth one, her arms were shaky, and her angle wasn’t right, and she crashed into the wall. 

“Oops!” she grinned, picking herself up from the floor and running down the hall back to her room. 

She high-fived Bellamy on her way inside. “Your turn. Truth or dare?” Clarke drank more wine.

He raised his eyebrows, contemplating before answering, “Dare.”

Clarke tapped her fingers together, with an evil grin on her face. “I dare you to prank call your friend Miller from the hotel phone.” 

“Easy,” he answered. Bellamy sat down on the bed, and looked up the number on his cell phone before dialing on the hotel phone. 

Soon Clarke was lying on the bed cackling with laughter as Bellamy used a thick Southern accent to ask Miller if his refrigerator was running. It was lame, but effective, and definitely hilarious.

“Your turn again, princess. Truth or dare?” 

“Let’s do another dare.” She sat up beside him, and tucked her legs under her. 

He sat back against the headboard, and thought for a moment. “I dare you to do something you’ve always wanted to do, something you’ve been too scared to do.”

Clarke leaned forward on her knees, “Like what?”

Bellamy shrugged, “Like promise me now that you’ll go get your tattoo, dye your hair, or submit a painting to your gallery?”

She paused for a moment, “Or like this?” 

Clarke moved to kneel beside him, and leaned closer and closer, and kissed him on the lips. Like she had dreamt of doing for years, and had always been too scared to do. 

Clarke felt him kiss her back after the moment of surprise wore off. His hand reached over to her, and gently cupped her cheek. His touch woke her thoughts, and she pulled back from the kiss. They made eye contact for a millisecond, before embarrassment caused her to look down, and she retreated backward, sitting on her feet. 

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have... the wine and the jet lag…”

Bellamy’s hand gently touched her chin, and tilted her head up to meet his eyes. She blinked, wondering and questioning his actions. And he leaned forward to capture her lips in another kiss. 

It started gently, and then his hands were on her waist, pulling her toward him. She had a hand on his chest, and the other fingering through his hair. He tugged her closer, and she moved a knee over him, to sit in his lap. His hand moved to her face, cupping her cheek again, and toying with her hair. 

He kissed her cheek, along her jawbone, and the soft skin of her neck. “Is this okay?” he whispered. 

The vibration of his voice along her neck sent shivers down her spine, and nodded. “Mhmm, yeah,” was all she was able to say, her words lost in the moment. With her hand, she angled his face upward again, catching his lips with hers, and gently pushing him back against the headboard. Nestled in his lap, lounging over his chest, she felt his hands, warm and large, duck under the hem of her shirt. He covered the small of her back and traced the bumps of her spine. 

Clarke returned the feeling, by guiding her touch under his t-shirt, and pulling the fabric up. Breaking the kiss for a brief moment, Bellamy took off his shirt quickly, and clutched her back against his chest. 

Now, her t-shirt seemed to be in the way, one too many layers of clothing between them. His hands were becoming more exploratory, more curious, and moved along her stomach and rib cage, edging her shirt higher. Wanting to be closer, to feel his skin on hers, Clarke reached down and pulled her t-shirt over her head. 

“Wow,” she heard him whisper, “You’re absolutely beautiful.” He stared at her chest, her bra threatening to overflow as she leaned over him. 

Rather than accepting his compliment, she simply kissed him. This was already too good to be true, with her dreams becoming reality. It would be too much to actually believe that Bellamy Blake thought she was beautiful. 

Instead, she guided his hands to her back where her bra was clasped. “Take it off,” she mumbled, her voice muffled as she placed kisses along his jaw bone. He willingly obliged, and she felt his arousal spike in response. 

Maybe it was the wine, or jet lag, or the years of crushing that had subconsciously turned into love and desire. No matter what the reason, Clarke could not believe that she was here, in a hotel room in London, making out with Bellamy Blake, her best friend’s older brother. All she knew was that she had been fantasizing about this moment for far too long, and she wasn’t going to stop now. 

So when his hand grazed her stomach, and trailed lower, softly tugging on the elastic band of her leggings, she didn’t say no. Quite the opposite in fact, as she encouraged his actions by moving her hands lower and unbuckling his belt. 

“Tell me to stop if you don’t want this,” he moaned, as she popped the button on his jeans. 

She sat back for a moment, resting her lap over his where it felt just right. “I want this, I want you,” Clarke answered, moving her hips against his and leaning down for another kiss. She heard his gasp, the quick intake of breath, before he returned her kiss, more forceful this time. He nudged her to the side, and rolled over, finding his place above her. 

“I want you too,” Bellamy whispered, edging down to kiss the column of her neck. 

Clarke felt him everywhere, the open-mouth kisses along her neck, his hands caressing her arms and sides and chest, his muscled stomach, and his legs entwined with hers. 

She wanted this. Damn, she’d been waiting years for this. 

* * *

**[London, the next morning]**

The next morning, Clarke woke to the sunlight streaming through the gap between the curtains. Her head was pounding, her eyes felt puffy and exhausted, and her throat felt dry. Blinking her eyes open, memories of the night before returned, and her arm moved out, exploring the space beside her - looking for someone, but only found cold empty sheets. 

She was alone. 

Clarke threw her arm over her face, shielding her eyes from the sun, and felt the tears threaten to form. Bellamy had left? Without saying goodbye? He wouldn’t do that, would he? Not after what they did last night. 

Holy fuck. She had sex with Bellamy freaking Blake last night. 

And he had disappeared before she woke up. Like a one night stand. Was that all she was to him, his little sister’s best friend and a one night stand?

Shit. 

She finally sat up, and found her t-shirt on the floor, and pulled it over her naked body. She told herself to make coffee and take a shower, and she could deal with everything else later. 

On the hotel desk, she saw the two empty plastic cups they’d used for the wine last night. And the empty bottle. That explained the headache. 

And then she saw the paper. A piece of hotel stationary, folded in half, with “Princess” written on the front in a familiar scrawl. She opened it, and read:

_ “Good morning beautiful,  _

_ I hope you slept well, I know I did. I hate that I have to leave you now, and I don’t want to wake you up, just to say goodbye. So goodbye, for now.  _

_ Princess, thank you for letting me stay at your castle last night. I’ll take the memories with me these next few months, ‘til I can (hopefully) see you again.  _

_ \- B _

_ P.s. You still owe me a beer.” _

Clarke couldn’t contain her grin as she clutched the paper to her chest. Bellamy hadn’t wanted to leave her, but he had to for work. 

  
And she definitely wanted to see him again. She had waited  _ years _ for this, for him, so what was waiting a few more months?


	3. There's No Escapin' Your Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke welcomes an arrival. Is it Bellamy, the baby, or both? ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (did I mention this story is super sappy? 'cause this is one tooth-rottin'-fluffy sap-fest, just warning ya.)
> 
> thanks again for all the likes, kudos', and shares! :)

**[July]**

For Clarke, the worst part of being pregnant in July, was being _ nine  _ months pregnant in July. It was hot as hell, and Clarke was super uncomfortable. No amount of air conditioning, cold showers, or ice packs seemed to help. 

In the last few weeks, Clarke had managed to cross off every final task and to-do item on her many lists, all but one: tell the father. But that was simply out of her control. 

And with her due date looming ever closer and closer, Clarke thought about telling Octavia the truth, but she couldn’t bring herself to do that. She hated having to keep this secret from her best friend, but Clarke knew deep down that she had to tell Bellamy first, not his sister; and had to trust the Octavia would forgive her. Despite her guilt, she would keep up this ruse until she could tell Bellamy, even if her baby was born with all the Blake genes. 

Clarke was sitting in the nursery beside the fan on full blast, wearing just a sports bra and pajama shorts. She rocked slowly as she rubbed lotion on her aching belly. Her skin was stretched so tight that everything was sensitive, even the material from her t-shirt. 

“Clarke! Clarke!” she heard Octavia yell from downstairs slamming the front door, and the excited shouts as her friend raced up the stairs toward her. 

Octavia burst into the nursery, and jumped in excitement. “Clarke! Bellamy called, he’s coming home!” 

Clarke froze as she processed the news, while Octavia screeched again, running forward to clasp Clarke’s outstretched hands in hers. Clarke smiled, letting her friend pull her up and out of the chair. 

“Thanks,” Clarke grinned, “I’d jump in excitement too, if I wasn’t as big as a whale.”

Octavia wrapped her in a hug, and squealed, “He’s finally coming home!” 

“Ouch!” Clarke winced, the firm hug pinched her swollen belly, and she rubbed the tight skin to find relief.

Octavia’s face fell, and she dropped her arms, “I’m so sorry!”

“No, I’m okay. I’m just huge and the baby is crammed in there.” Clarke reassured her, smiling as she reached to hold Octavia’s hand again. “When does Bellamy get here?” 

“Tomorrow! His flight gets in at 3 o’clock.” Octavia grinned, and looked around at the pastel walls. “Ha! He’ll never believe we turned his room into a nursery. Hope he likes the couch.” 

Clarke laughed along with Octavia, while her thoughts began to race at full speed. Months of anxiety flooded back into her brain as she realized:  _ tomorrow _ . Bellamy would be here tomorrow. She could finally tell him the truth about their baby - and then tell Octavia the truth. No more secret. 

And who knows, maybe Clarke would be brave enough to tell Bellamy her other secret - that she was still hopelessly in love with him. 

* * *

  
  


The next morning, Clarke woke up ready to take on the day. Well, not really. But if she told herself that enough, maybe it would come true. 

She’d barely slept as she tossed and turned all night, the anxiety of her conversation with Bellamy looming - not to mention the fact that trying to sleep while nine months pregnant was uncomfortable as anything, even with her special body pillow. 

After an ice cold shower, Clarke stood at the kitchen counter making a peanut butter sandwich when Octavia came home from her night shift. 

“Hey, how’s my favourite baby mama?” Octavia teased. 

“Huge,” Clarke retorted. “Hey, what time are you heading to the airport?” 

Octavia checked her watch, “I’m gonna try to get a quick nap in first, but probably around two. Why, you want to come along?” 

Clarke nodded. “Duh, it’s Bell. Plus I need something to distract myself from the fact that I’m so pregnant I can’t do anything else.” She had officially started her maternity leave the week before, and a trip to the airport would be a refreshing change of scenery from their house. 

Octavia laughed, “For sure. Oh, he’s totally gonna flip when he sees how big you are, ‘cause I didn’t have time to tell him you’re pregnant when we talked yesterday.” 

Clarke rolled her eyes. “Well, there’s no hiding it now.” 

“That’s for sure, you’re the size of a Buick.” 

Clarke spun and threw a tea towel at her roommate, but Octavia was too quick and darted up the stairs. 

As she ate her breakfast, Clarke had another crazy idea. With a couple hours to kill before they left, she dug out some of her art supplies and a spare poster board and got to work. 

* * *

  
  


Later that afternoon, Clarke was waiting with Octavia in the arrivals hall of the airport. She had managed to snag one of the few seats available, a pregnancy perk (one glare at an able-bodied man was all it took to free his seat), while Octavia buzzed in excited circles around her. 

Clarke had her art project, a welcome sign rolled up beside her. Octavia had laughed when she’d filled her friend in, thinking the plan was genius. 

Finally, Octavia’s phone buzzed, and shared the text with Clarke. Bellamy was going through customs and should be through the arrivals doors in a few minutes. 

“Well, here goes nothing,” Clarke grinned, holding her hand out for Octavia to help her up. They found a spot along the metal railing, near the door where he would walk out, and Clarke unrolled her sign and held it in front of her, hiding her pregnant belly. She had written  _ Long time no see, nerd _ , on it in careful block letters, the words echoing their inside joke from London. 

They waited. Octavia bounced on her toes, and Clarke swayed from side to side slowly; both girls eyeing the arriving travellers for a familiar tall, dark-haired man. 

And suddenly, Octavia was squealing. She ducked under the metal rail and ran forward, crashing into Bellamy, who had just appeared through the door. He dropped his bags on the floor and enveloped Octavia in a bear hug, swinging her around in a circle. 

Clarke couldn’t help but tear up at the reunion, but she could blame it on the baby hormones, right?

She wiped away a tear quickly just as she caught Bellamy’s gaze over Octavia’s shoulder, and his face lit up with a smile as their eyes connected. She pointed to the sign, and he stuck out his tongue at her. 

Clarke grinned widely at him, and he kissed Octavia on the cheek and released her hug. 

“Princess!” His smile was infectious as he quickly closed the distance between them, running forward to hug her. 

Running too fast. 

Clarke instinctively took a step backwards grateful for the metal barrier between them. Bellamy noticed - and stopped himself, and the smile dropped from his face. 

“Oh! No, sorry!” Clarke says, realizing that her body language made it seem as if she was afraid of him, hesitant to be near him. “No, it’s okay, Bell! I’m just - I can’t be crushed right now, I’m a little fragile,” she explained and dropped the sign, revealing her very, very pregnant belly. 

Bellamy stayed frozen where he stood, his jaw dropped. From the distance, she could hear Octavia laughing at Bellamy’s reaction, but Clarke ignored her friend and watched Bellamy carefully. She took a few steps sideways, to the gap in the railing, and stepped towards him, and held her arms out to him. He looped his arms around her in a hug, her baby bump squished against him. 

The shock must have worn off, because he whispered, “Dang, princess, you’re huge.” Her heart fluttered when she heard the nickname that used to drive her crazy. Now it’s special because it means he’s actually here. 

She pulled back to see his face, “I know. It’s umm, it’s a long story, but we’ll catch up after.” Clarke saw the question in his eyes, as he began to do the math and count the months. 

“Don’t,” she whispered, “I’ll tell you soon.” Because she finally felt ready to tell him - and she would tell him right here, right now - but Octavia was watching them, and eager to get her brother home. 

He nodded, turning back to Octavia, who had dragged his bags over. Bellamy picked them up effortlessly, and slung an arm over Octavia’s shoulder as they began to walk towards the exit. 

Clarke lagged behind them. The excitement of the day had worn her out, and her muscles were exhausted. Plus her belly felt tight, and she’d even had a few of those minor contractions, the Braxton-Hicks ones. She was aware that she was due in a few days, and could possibly go into labour any day now, but these contractions didn’t feel serious yet. 

At the door, Bellamy realized Clarke was falling behind. “O, maybe you should bring the car around so Clarke doesn’t have to walk. I can wait with her here.” 

Octavia agreed and walked off with her long-legged stride, and she was halfway to the parking garage by the time Clarke reached the door. 

“Umm, thanks.” Clarke was suddenly embarrassed that she was so exhausted. But she was finally alone with Bellamy again - something she’d been hoping for for months, yet her mind ran blank. Every version of what she wanted to say has disappeared from her mind. 

“So, princess. What’d you do to get yourself into trouble this time?” Bellamy asked, his teasing tone faltering, revealing the worry underneath.

“You,” Clarke answered quickly, without thinking. 

She heard his sharp intake of breath, and watched his eyes stare down to her belly. His hand reached out hesitantly, but stopped midair.

“Umm, yeah. So I’m pregnant, and you’re the father. You know, because of London.” 

He nodded. “Okay. London. You’re pregnant. And I’m the father. My- our baby,” he stated the facts quickly and quietly, processing the new information. 

“Oh, and Octavia has no idea it’s yours. I couldn’t tell her, not before telling you, so I lied to her. I had to tell you in person, but then you didn’t come home in February, so I stuck to my story. So I told her it was a one night stand from my London trip… which is technically true.” 

Bellamy shook his head. “No Clarke, that wasn’t a one night stand. It was too important to me, to us, to be just that.” 

Clarke looked up, seeing the clarity and the urgency in his eyes, and she started to believe him. 

“Bellamy, it was important to me too. But it was nine months ago, I haven’t seen you since, and oh yeah, we’re going to have a baby like any day now. I wouldn’t hold it against you if wanted nothing to do with me, or the baby.” It broke Clarke’s heart to say the words out loud, but she needed to offer him an out, to clear her conscience. She had to give him the option of being all in, as it wasn’t her choice to make. 

“Princess,” Bellamy shook his head, and reached up, gently tucking in a loose piece of hair behind her ear and stroking the side of her cheek. “I’d hold that against you. I would’ve thought you’d know me better than that.”

Clarke squeezed her eyes shut, tears forming - not because of Bellamy’s words, but because of the tight, squeezing, cramping pain that rolled through her midsection.

“I, I know. And we can talk more later?” She looked up to see his face turn up in confusion, as to why they couldn’t talk now. She reached out and took hold of his arm, squeezing tight as another contraction rippled through.

“Bell, I think my water just broke.”

Bellamy’s eyes widened in shock. “Now?”

Clarke nodded. “There’s Octavia now, just get me to the hospital, okay?”

Octavia pulled up at the curb, a huge smile on her face as she tackled Bellamy in another hug. 

“Hey O, change of plans. As much as I want to go home and shower, we’re going to the hospital now.” Bellamy opened the back door and helped Clarke inside. 

“Wait, what? Clarke?” Octavia questioned, looking at her friend for answers. “The baby?”

“Yeah. Oooh, that hurts.” Clarke grimaced again. 

She saw Bellamy and Octavia exchange a worried look before quickly throwing his bags in the back of the car, and finding their seats - Octavia driving, and Bellamy in the back with Clarke.

“Alright then, hospital here we come,” Octavia said, merging the car onto the road. 

“Clarke, you’re doing great.” Bellamy offered his hands to her, and she squeezed them tight. Thinking back, those cramps she had felt all day were a little too frequent to be false labour, and she probably shouldn’t have ignored them.

Their baby must have known daddy had just arrived home and was eager to meet him. 

* * *

Octavia brought the car to a stop at the hospital doors. “Bell, go check in with her and I’ll park the car, and meet you inside.”

Bellamy hopped out and ran around the back of the car to Clarke’s door to help her out. As she stepped out, she heard Octavia yell, “Good luck babe!” before driving away again. 

“Hey, you got this. You’re doing great.” Bellamy said, leading her inside. 

Clarke groaned in pain as another contraction hit her. It only took the hospital reception one look to jump into action - guiding Clarke into a wheelchair, and paging a doctor to the delivery room. 

Clarke tuned out the chaos around her, focusing only on breathing through the contractions, like she’d been taught in her birthing classes. She didn’t notice the nurses checking her in, confirming her name with Bellamy. And she certainly didn’t notice the nurse gesturing for Bellamy to follow them to the delivery room. At least, not until he spoke up. 

“Clarke, do you want me to stay with you? Or go get Octavia?” Bellamy asked, still holding her hand as the nurses helped her from the wheelchair to the bed. 

“I, I don’t know…” Clarke barely answered through the pain. 

“Honey, you’re the boss,” the nurse on her left spoke up. “If you want dad to stay, then he’s staying. You’re in charge here.” 

“Oh, um. Okay. Yes, Bell, please stay.” She squeezed his hand tighter, looking up to make eye contact. “I know you just literally stepped off the plane, and I haven’t seen you in, well, nine months, and you had no idea about the baby an hour ago… but, yeah, will you stay?” 

She heard the same nurse let out a low whistle at hearing this information, but her focus was solely on Bellamy - the man she loved, and the father of her child. 

“Of course, Princess, I’m here.” He answered, and kissed her forehead. “I know you would have told me sooner if you could - my fault for being off the map for the last nine months.” 

She tried to laugh, but ended up crying. Dang hormones. But to her surprise, Bellamy sweetly wiped away her tears with the soft side of his thumb.

After a long hour full of continuous contractions, the doctor re-entered the room and sat at the foot of the bed, examining Clarke. She informed Clarke that she was already fully dilated and ready to push, ready to bring her baby into the world.

Bellamy kissed her forehead again. “You got this, princess. You’re amazing.” 

Clarke tightened her grip on his hand, squeezing hard through another contraction. 

“I’m not going anywhere, even if you break my hand,” he grinned, using his free hand to wipe the sweat from her brow. 

“Good. ‘Cause I want you here, Bellamy. With me, with our baby. I want you in our lives.” 

“I want that too.” He held through another contraction. “I was going to tell you, before all this,” he gestured his head to the doctor sitting at the foot of the bed, “But I quit. I’m done. I’m staying in Arkadia for good.”

“Really?” 

“Yep,” he answered, popping the p. “After I left you in London, all I wanted to do was be with you. And then when I couldn’t come home in February, I was crushed. I knew I had to quit, so I did. So here I am, I came home for you.” 

Clarke stared at him, panting and sweating with labour. “For me?” 

Bellamy nodded, and moved closer, gently kissing her lips. “I’m in love with you Clarke.”

“I’m in love with you too,” she answered, oblivious to everyone else in the room, and kissed him back. 

They were quickly interrupted by another contraction, causing Clarke to whimper in pain, as the tears streamed down her face again. 

“Clarke, you’re doing great, I can see your baby’s head,” the doctor encouraged. 

Bellamy held her hand, kissed her head, wiped away her tears and whispered encouraging words and ‘I love you’s in her ear. She pushed through the pain, focusing on his words and his touch to anchor her. 

“Okay, Clarke, one big push, c’mon!” the doctor called. 

Clarke looked at Bellamy, and gathered all of her strength and pushed. Letting out a guttural cry, she felt the pain, the movement, the birth. 

And heard the baby’s cry. 

“Clarke, you have a beautiful baby girl.” The doctor wrapped the baby in a small blanket and placed the baby in her mother’s waiting arms. 

* * *

  
  


“She’s absolutely perfect,” Clarke whispered reverently, gazing adoringly at the teeny tiny little girl in her arms. 

Bellamy was half sitting on the bed beside her, with a similar expression of wonderment on his face. 

They both looked up when they heard a knock on the door, and saw Octavia standing there. 

“Clarke!” she squeaked, “You have a baby!” 

Clarke grinned, joy radiating from her smile when she looked down at her daughter. “Auntie O, come meet your niece.” 

Octavia came close and sat on the edge of Clarke’s bed, and held out a hand to gently touch the baby’s forehead. 

“Clarke, she’s precious! Look at how tiny her hands are!” With soft touches, Octavia gently lifted the newborn’s arm and the baby’s fingers were soon wrapped around her aunt’s finger. 

After a moment of adoration, Octavia sat back, not wanting to crowd Clarke too much - clearly something Bellamy was not worried about, as he sat tucked against Clarke’s side. 

“So do you have a name picked out?”

Clarke smiled, and quickly looked at Bellamy. With an encouraging smile from him, she announced, “Her name is Madi. Madi Aurora Blake.” 

Octavia’s jaw dropped, and her hands flew to her mouth to cover a shriek of surprise. “Wait! What? Blake? Holy cr...umb, Bell’s the father?” Octavia caught herself in time to not swear in front of the tiny newborn. 

Clarke tilted her head back and giggled, watching Octavia spin around the room trying to process the information and fit the puzzle pieces together. Looking to the side, she saw Bellamy grinning too. When he noticed her watching, he gave her a quick kiss. 

A kiss that Octavia saw. “Okay, what is happening?! Are you two together? When did this happen? Oh… London!?” 

It definitely had to be the post-labour hormones, but Clarke could not stop giggling, even as she tried to explain. “Yeah, in London. I’m so sorry I couldn’t tell you the truth, but I had to tell Bellamy first, and I couldn’t tell him until today.” 

Octavia rolled her eyes. “Okay, fair, that makes sense.” She sat down on the foot of Clarke’s hospital bed again. “I always thought you liked him, but I never expected this. So are you two, what, dating now?” 

Bellamy stretched an arm around Clarke’s shoulders, and held her close. “O, we have no idea. Madi kinda interrupted that conversation.” He looked down at Clarke, and continued, “But I want that - to be with you, and be Madi’s dad. I’m all in.” 

Clarke’s smiled widely, unable to contain her happiness. She was completely in love with this man, and their newborn daughter - and the thought of the three of them, as family, made her heart soar. 

“I want that too,” she finally answered. Tilting her head toward Bellamy, he met her halfway and kissed her soundly on the lips. 

“Ew, gross,” Octavia muttered, interrupting them. “Can I hold my niece while you two lovebirds figure out your stuff? You know, my actual  _ biological _ niece?”

Clarke nodded, and passed the sleeping baby over to Octavia’s waiting arms. Immediately, she felt the loss in her arms trigger an emotional reaction - despite her daughter being four feet away, safe in Octavia’s arms, she felt like a piece of her heart was missing. There definitely was nothing like motherhood. 

Shifting herself over in bed, Clarke made room for Bellamy to fully sit beside her. It felt perfectly natural for him to gather her in his arms and hold her close, like they belonged together - which now, they truly did, bonded forever by their beautiful daughter.

  
  


* * *

  
  


The next morning Clarke woke up in the hospital bed, and instinctively turned to the bassinet, looking for Madi. Only, the baby wasn’t there. She rolled over and saw Bellamy sitting in the armchair beside her bed, holding Madi. His shirt was unbuttoned, with the baby lying on his bare chest, and he softly stroked Madi’s head. 

“Good morning princess,” he said softly, “Sleep okay?” 

Clarke smiled, “Yeah, thank goodness for the nurses helping us with feeding and changing in the middle of the night.” She stretched her arms above her head, and winced at the pain radiating from her midsection. Her body definitely still needed lots of time to heal. 

“You two look cozy over there,” she said. 

He smirked, and straightened his glasses. He must have switched his contacts for glasses in the middle of the night. “Madi woke up, but you were still sleeping, so the nurse suggested some skin-to-skin time.” 

“She’s going to be such a daddy’s girl, isn’t she?” 

Bellamy smiled, “Oh, she already is.” 

There was a knock at the door, and a nurse popped in the room. “How’s our new momma doing this morning?”

“Good, just sore and exhausted. Getting some sleep helped,” Clarke answered. 

The nurse laughed, “Get used to it, honey, you’ll be tired for the next eighteen years!” She updated Clarke’s chart on the tablet. “Looks like you’re all ready to be checked out and head home today.” 

Clarke gulped, “Already? I mean, you trust me to keep a newborn alive?” 

“You’ll be fine, honey,” the nurse chuckled, and glanced at Bellamy who was fully attentive to Madi. “Besides, dad looks like a natural.” 

And an hour later, Madi was strapped in her car seat, with Clarke and Bellamy on either side. Octavia had picked them up from the hospital, but quickly came to regret offering to help. With every bump, corner, or acceleration, she had one of the new parents chastising her to be more careful with their precious daughter. 

* * *

  
  
  


Somehow, Clarke and Bellamy managed to survive their first day as a family of three. Arriving at the Blake house, Bellamy was not even surprised to find his room had been turned into a nursery, instead he shrugged it off, and mumbled something about how he would rather share a bed with his girlfriend anyway. 

Octavia had left the new parents alone for the day, retreating to Lincoln’s apartment where she could enjoy her day off work. Her niece was definitely cute, but also super loud. And that evening, she returned with pizzas and Lincoln in tow. After all, she and Lincoln had been dating for over a year now, it was about time she introduced her boyfriend to her brother. 

Clarke was sitting with Madi on the couch when Octavia and Lincoln arrived. Bellamy was upstairs showering for the second time that day, as Madi had just spit up all over him. Clarke introduced her daughter to Lincoln, who gently held Madi with a surprising amount of expertise for a man of his size and stature. It was oddly endearing, and she could tell Octavia was swooning.

When Bellamy came downstairs, he was slightly shocked at the sight of his daughter, sister, and girlfriend cuddled up on the couch with a strange man, before his brain caught up and he realized it must be Lincoln. Between the jetlag, no sleep at the hospital, and being thrown into caring for a newborn, his brain was a little tired. 

After Octavia formally introduced them, and they had chatted a bit, Bellamy had to admit that Lincoln was a good fit for his sister. He wouldn’t let O know that for a while, but he had no problem sharing with Clarke when they were tucked up in bed that evening. 

They had spent the night celebrating Madi’s arrival, and Bellamy officially shared his exciting news. He had officially quit his job overseas and would be moving back to Arkadia permanently. He had even contacted Polis University about reapplying for the teacher’s program, and Dean Pike had waived the application, inviting him to join the September start in a month and a half. 

  
Clarke could not believe how drastically her life had changed within the course of forty-eight hours. Her beautiful baby had arrived, and Bellamy was home  _ and _ home for good. But the best news of all was that she loved Bellamy, and he loved her back. As long as they had each other, and Madi, they could handle anything. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and drum roll, the prompt that inspired this whole 12k+ mess was idea of person A using a 'welcome home' sign to conceal a pregnancy for an ultimate surprise reveal after Person B has been gone a while.


	4. Accidentally, We're In Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> \+ Epilogue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for all of your likes, kudos', shares, and comments!! :)
> 
> here's a quick epilogue, and I hope you all enjoyed this sweet and sappy mess.

**[August]**

It felt like deja vu to Clarke, standing in the arrivals hall of the airport, waiting to greet Bellamy. Only this time, Madi was a happy little one month old baby, snuggled tightly against Clarke’s chest in her baby wrap. They were waiting for Bellamy to arrive home from Germany. He had been called back for one week to sign his final exit paperwork, tying up loose ends with insurance and pension plans, and pack up his small apartment there. 

Clarke hummed softly under her breath, while shuffling side to side - an instinctual habit that came with motherhood. “Madi-girl, Daddy’s almost home,” she whispered, kissing Madi’s soft head, while the baby slept soundly. Her phone buzzed, a text signalling that Bellamy was through customs and would be right out any moment now. 

“Let’s go find Daddy,” Clarke murmured, walking over to the opening in the railing and uncurling the sign she had made. Moments later, she saw him, and her heart filled with relief, he was here. With his dark unruly hair, thick-framed glasses, freckles, and a huge smile as he saw his girls holding their sign that said  _ ‘Welcome home Daddy!’ _

“Princess,” he called, jogging the last few steps over to Clarke, and enveloping her and Madi into a bear hug. Bellamy kissed her quickly, then kissed Madi’s head, before reaching up to cradle Clarke’s face in his hands and kiss her properly. 

“I missed you both. So much,” he whispered, lips grazing her forehead with another kiss. 

She exhaled the breath she didn’t know she had been holding in, and leaned against him. All week she had felt like something was off, but right now, in his arms again, Clarke felt instantly at home and at peace again. “Me too. Mads and I have decided you’re never allowed to leave us again. Ever.” Clarke joked. 

But she wasn’t expecting Bellamy to nod his head in agreement. He leaned back slightly, so they could see eye to eye, still holding her in his arms. “I did a lot of thinking this week about us, and Madi too. And I never want to have to leave you two behind again, so…” 

His hands left her sides, as he knelt down and pulled something out of his pocket. 

“Clarke, princess, I know we’ve only been officially together for a month, but I’ve been in love with you for years. And we might be doing things a little backwards, having Madi before we even started dating, but… But being with you and Madi feels so right, and I want us to be a family forever. So Clarke, will you marry me?” 

“Yes, yes!” she answered through the tears that had started falling as she saw him kneel down. Clarke reached out for his hands and pulled him up, drawing him close as she kissed him fiercely. She faintly heard the sound of people clapping and cheering around her, but she tuned it all out. 

Taking a breath, she saw Bellamy’s radiant smile and knew she had just said the best yes of her life. She felt cool metal, and looked down as Bellamy slid the ring on her hand - it was a delicate white gold ring with a simple diamond shouldered by two brilliant blue sapphires. For his two beautiful blue-eyed girls, he would later explain. And it was absolutely perfect. 

In all the commotion, Madi finally opened her eyes and began to fuss. Bellamy eagerly collected his tiny daughter in his arms and cuddled her close. “Hey Madi, your Daddy’s home. And exciting news, babe. I get to marry your super hot mamma,” he teased. 

Clarke whacked him with the sign, but laughed anyway. 

Together, they left the airport hand-in-hand, ready for all the excitement their future would hold. 

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr @bookwormforalways


End file.
